Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • 162

oA Matter of Taster By Charles Mokriski 500 Blake Street fl r5 7 fji -j. 1 artford has such a wealth of Italian restaurants that a trek to far-away New Haven would 1 Unexcited by the listed pasta offerings one evening, my companion and I asked whether the chef had the time and ingredients to prepare a fresh pesto sauce for fettuccini. We were rewarded with two plates of golden, al dente ettuccine, carefully prepared. from fresh pasta, and a generous bowl of pesto sauce. The bite of the garlic predominated over the perfume' of the basil and obscured the subtle nuance of the pig-noli nuts, but the ensemble was so satisfying that it tempted us to consume large quantities of the restaurant's wonderful crusty bread to clean our plates.

The dish would have been more than adequate were it from the regular repetoire; as a of a special request and the chef's obliging graciousness, it delighted us even more. Other pasta offerings were equally superb. Fettuccini Alfredo, featuring the same al dente perfection the noodles and a rich, creamy cheese sauce, was incomparable. Tortellini. Carbonara arrived in a similar cheese sauce, augmented by firm sweet peas, and lean but tender pieces of bacon.

Whether Alfredo sauce is to be exquisite or indifferent is determined in great measure by the quality of the cheese employed 500 Blake Street obviously recognizes this. So outstanding was the sauce, that the slightly rough texture and bland filling of the tortellini were fully forgivable. But man does not live by pasta alone. In recognition of this, 500 Blake Street serves an impeccable, lightly breaded and delicately deep fried far from the leaden, fishy, oily mess one sometimes encounters in this dish. Another old favorite, cold antipasto, consisted of a huge platter of well-oiled and not too sour crudites, meats, and cheese, including capicola, salami, pepper-on lumps of moist tuna, eggplant strips, celery, tiny stuffed peppers, large chunks of sharp provolone, artichoke hearts, and black olives.

Far less common, and uncommonly delicious, were squash blossoms, delicate flowers from summer squash, lightly coated in herbed batter and quickly deep fried to a golden, crisp, perf umey perfection. Also out of the ordinary, and equally enjoyable, was the escarole with capers, garlic, anchovies, and oiL a warm, pungent saute, zesty but not overpowering. Along the same lines, but even more piquant and provocative, were the Hungarian hot green peppers stuffed with anchovies and sauteed in oil and onions. The peppers were so hot as to be almost excessively so, but the anchovies and onions added a very pleasant dimension. Rolled eggplant stuffed with sausage and ricotta and topped with to- PHOTO BY CAROLYN PELKEY newed our skepticism about this dish and its close relatives of the shellfish on pasta family.

The five shrimp were slightly dried-out and tough, the spiced crab seemed more for decoration than consumption (efforts to extricate its flesh met with little or no reward), and the limp linguini underlying this feeble garnish was only partially redeemed by the zesty pepper of the tomato sauce. The potatoes and vegetables garnishing the entrees were mediocre at best (the garlic gremlin seemed to have attacked the broccoli with gusto), but the green salad that was included in the price of the entrees was clearly superior, with a variety of crisp greens served in a clear glass bowl with croutons, onion rings, olives, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. Desserts are often a disappointing afterthought or an unnecessary distraction in Italian restaurants. At 500 Blake Street the desserts were remarkably good, especially the Hungarian Rhapsody, a wedge of dense, moist, chocolaty cake, thick with walnuts and topped with a rich, creamy, bittersweet chocolate icing. Less expensive was the chocolate' mousse pie, light and airy, more like chiffon than mousse, with its chocolate cookie crumb crust a little too cute to be taken seriously.

But the peach tart, was a triumph. Best of all at 500 Blake Street is the friendly, accommodating service. On the two evenings we took dinner there, our waitresses showed such professionalism, attentiveness, grace, and efficiency, that we were made to feel as if we were being accorded the hospitality of a private home. seem to make little sense. And once in New Haven, moreover, one would be inclined to look in the area around Wooster Square, or on one of the tiny streets in the Hill neighborhood, in a search for authentic Italian cuisine.

How then did I find myself on the fringe of the decidedly non-Italian neighborhood of West-ville, in a restaurant with the un-Latin name of 500 Blake Street, feeling that I was enjoying the latest installment in as fine a series of Italian meals as I have encountered in some time? New Haven is only 36 miles from Hartford via limited access highway, making it more accessible to Hartford diners than many an eatery to the west, east, or southeast to which sybaritic Hartfordites would feel no qualm in driving at the drop of a fork. Second, it would be difficult anywhere to find a rival to this inviting establishment, which owner Charles Perrotta has converted from a former union hall. It is a restaurant open seven days a week, offering live musical entertainment in the form of jazz pianists and instrumentalists, and serving first rate Italian food in a setting of attractive Victor-iana, complete with rich wooden panelling, brass sconces, oak pedestal tables, bare bricks, and two ornate antique bars, restored after retrieval from what -must have been among the classiest men's hair salons in history. 500 Blake Street's wine list is more than adequate, with particular strength in fine Italian wines. In the course of our visits we enjoyed a full, rich, 1971 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Chianti, whose ample bottle age rounded and mellowed its assertive character.

Rivaling the Chianti Riserva was a 1974 Fontanafredda Barolo, whose intense bouquet and lingering aftertaste more than stood up to the boldness with which 500 Blake's chef wielded the garlic. Less memorable, but still pleasant, were the Fontana Candida Frescati, 1979, the white that serves as vin ordinaire for the Roman table, and a non-vintage Orvieto Secco, under the label of Melini Classico, a very dry, somewhat thin white wine, as gentle as St. Francis, the patron saint of the Um-brian hinterland. Even 500 Blake's house wine, Ericino red or white, robust, grapey nectar of Sicilian origin, was far above average. 500 Blake Street's printed menus are augmented by printed blackboard specials at both lunch and dinner, but the restaurant's versatility and hospitality do not end there.

mato sauce was a far tamer, but extremely pleasant starter, as were the four stuffed clams, in which the clams, instead of being minced and lost in a mountain of bread, were chopped into substantial, but tender, chunks and carefully combined with herbed garlic, celery, and cheese as well as bread. Entrees, as one'might expect in an Italian restaurant, are strongest in the seafood and veal departments. Our first prize here went to the Veal Chops Vincenzo: huge, thick, tender veal ribs sauteed with mushrooms, pignoli nuts, pimentoes, and pros-ciutto in a light sauce with a wisp of garlic. Succulent and rare, the chops reminded us of nothing so much as roast prime ribs of beef captured in their infancy and prepared and pre-' sented with the very essence of art and finesse. Also outstanding were the Shrimp Florentine, seven huge shrimp bathed in an" egg batter, sauteed with lemon and parsley, and served on a bed of fresh spinach.

Saltimbocca, seven tiny medallions of veal scallopine into which thin slices of prociutto have been pounded before sauteeing in olive oil with cheese, sage, and garlic, were served on a bed of broccoli leaves. The veal was tender and the flavor first rate. Our only quibble was the excessive oil that collected at the base of the broccoli. A special one evening, poached salmon filet, was a magnificent slab of perfectly 1ink, moist salmon, more than ample or dividing between two diners, and flawed only in the chef's unrestrained exuberance in the use of garlic. The only clear disappointment in five entrees was the Spiced Crab and Shrimp on Linguini, which re- 500 Blake Street, New Haven Lunch 11:30 a.m.

to 3 p.m. Light meals until 5:30. Dinner 5:30 to midnight. Open 7 days. Lunch (1 course), Dinner (3 courses), Informal atmosphere, dress; reservations suggested, required weekends; non-smoking room available; no credit cards.

387-0500. WHERE: WHEN: HOW MUCH: MISCELLANEY: TELEPHONE:.